A Lifeful of Lies
by kazuko59
Summary: For Hitsugaya Toshiro, it is both a curse and a blessing to have an eidetic memory. It makes his life far more complicated as he would like it to be, but the memories of a silver haired man visiting him when he was far younger was sure worth all the lies. But when,after years of pretending, something that seems to be the end happened, can he still keep on pretending?
1. Prologue

k59: an idea that came to me n wouldn't leave.. i'm posting the either-will-be-prologue-or-beginning first to see how is the reaction to this.. to be honest, i'm still thinking of the type for this story, short one-shot thing or multi-chaptered, seeing that i suck in writing multi-chapter.. i'll still upload the next part nonetheless though.. i'm just still thinking of how long this should be.. anyway pls leave ur thought^^~ that said, enjoy the story~

* * *

A Lifeful of Lies - Prologue

xxx

xxx

_"Come on, Shiro-chan. Just a bit more."_

_The six month old's face scrunched up in frustration as the silver haired man kept moving away from him. The small child's turquoise eyes were locked on the man as he took a shaky step forward._

_"That's it. Just a little more."_

_The small tyke let out whine before plopping onto his bottom. The man sighed when the child then proceeded to crawl forward instead of walking._

_"Shiro-chan," the man scolded small child, who didn't seem to notice as he was busy squealing, as he scooped the tyke up into his arms. "You are not supposed to crawl, you're supposed to walk. Let's try again, shall we?"_

_The silver haired man placed the young child onto his feet again, but it seemed like the tyke have different idea. His small hands gripped onto the sleeves of his shihakusho tightly, refusing to let go and clinging to him while babbling happily._

_"Toshiro," the man sighed again._

_"Really now, Gin-kun. Don't be too hard on your son. He'll walk when he wants to," came an eldery female voice from the entrance of the small house. In her hands were several foods that she had just bought._

_The young man, Gin, frowned, "Fuyuka-san, I've told you before that Toshiro is not my son."_

_"Ah, yes, yes," the old lady laughed pleasantly as she moved to the kitchen side of the house. "Forgive an old lady for keeping on forgetting. You did name him." _

_Gin couldn't help but sigh at that. Every time he went for a visit, Fuyuka-san always called him Toshiro's father one way or another, which in truth he actually was. It was as if she was trying to remind him that he has a son._

_Giving a wry smile, Gin gathered the still babbling white haired baby in his arms, nuzzling the little nose and making his son shrieking in delight._

_"You know, Shiro-chan," he laid back onto his back and held the little child up above him with his arms. "If I had my way, that bastard Aizen would have rot in hell ages ago and we will be with your mother living in the Seireitei right now. She would have spoiled you rotten, saying that you're her little angel."_

_The little child gave a cute yawn and the man chuckled, placing his son on top of his chest and cradling him._

_"Well," Gin ran a hand through the sleepy child's white hair, "If it makes it better, you __**are**__ my little angel, Shiro-chan." He lightly pressed a kiss on the child's head, "I just hope that I'll be able to tell you the truth someday."_


	2. Chapter 1

k59: i've decided to make this a short multi-chap fic.. as a compromise of the two.. most probably less than 10 chapters long, since the idea that i've got now only cover for that much only.. anyway, the next will not be as fast, since i'm still not done with it when i upload this.. for now though, enjoy the story^^~

* * *

A Lifeful of Lies - Chapter 1

xxx

xxx

The tenth division's captain, Hitsugaya Toshiro, had been fidgety since the news of the fifth division's captain demise reached him. The two closest to him, his lieutenant, Matsumoto Rangiku, and captain of thirteenth division, Ukitake Jushiro, had been watching him closely with worry in their eyes.

His foster older sister and lieutenant of fifth division, Hinamori Momo, had dropped by for a little while too, but was too busy by the sudden rise of duty that threatened to drown her, now that she was the sole leader of the fifth division.

"Shiro-chan, you should sit down. You're wearing your carpet thin with all your pacing," the older white haired captain grabbed the child captain's hand and pulled him down to sit beside him.

Toshiro complied and scowled when his lieutenant promptly handed him his favorite green tea. The only times she willingly did that was when she was deeply concerned about him, which he honestly appreciated. Not the time it happened, but later when his mind had worked normally again.

"You two are over-reacting. I'm completely fine," he mumbled as he took a sip of his drink, sighing lightly when the warmth calmed his rattling nerve a bit.

"Taicho, you were pacing," the beautiful strawberry blonde frowned. "You _never_ paced."

The boy frowned as well, "There's first to everything."

"And you're positively sulking. You simply just can't have two firsts at the same time and say that you're completely fine. There's something that is bothering you, isn't there, Taicho?"

"There isn't! And I am not sulking!"

"And now you're pouting as well. That's three firsts."

Toshiro's glare intensified and he harrumphed, choosing to instead drinking his green tea. They simply didn't understand.

When he heard that Aizen was dead, he was so sure that Gin, _his father_, would have sought him out. He remembered what the man had said very clearly as if it happened just yesterday, after all. Yet here he was, still without the company of the one that he was waiting.

He bit his bottom lip in frustration and his hands gripped his mug more tightly.

_Why haven't you come and find me? Otousan?_

"A penny for your thought?"

Toshiro quickly looked up to see Ukitake watching carefully and shrugged, taking another sip of his green tea, "Nothing worth mentioning."

The older captain raised an eyebrow, "From experience, any thought that came from you were always worth mentioning. You were called a genius for a reason, Shiro-chan."

"Probably," Toshiro tried to curb his temper at the repeated use of that childish nickname, since Ukitake was one of the few that he tolerated for using it. "But I was too distracted to make any decent thought about the whole situation. I don't think I'd be of any help right now."

"And what distracts you so much that it could even numb your famous mind?"

"Nothing of importance," the younger captain busied himself with his tea, hoping that Ukitake would drop the subject.

Sensing that the boy was not in the mood of discussing his thoughts, the older man sighed and complied, turning his attention to the other occupant of the room.

"Your captain can be very stubborn when he wants to, Rangiku-chan."

The lieutenant simply chuckled, "You've seen nothing but the tip of it, Ukitake-taicho."

Toshiro huffed and rose up his mug again, scowling when he found that it was already empty. Getting up to his feet, the white haired boy strolled to his desk to pour himself some more green tea, keeping half his attention to the conversation, rather pleased when the chuckle quickly died out.

"What do you think about the whole situation, Ukitake-taicho?"

And there went his good mood.

"It seems like we have one event after the other consecutively," the older captain sighed. "Kuchiki Rukia's death sentence, the ryoka's invasion, then Aizen's murder. We never have peace around here, do we?"

"What is peace," Toshiro remarked rather spitefully, a sad look in his turquoise eyes as he poured more green tea into his mug. "I haven't experienced it before."

"Taicho," Rangiku stood up and gathered his captain into a gentle hug. "You know that's not true."

Toshiro's eyes widened when he felt warm arms around him and he couldn't help but melt into the embrace, thinking that this must be what it would feel like to have your mother hugged you close.

He peered up at his lieutenant.

If he was to be honest to himself, the idea of Rangiku being his mother had been playing around his mind ever since he saw her interact with his father. His father did say that if he had his way, they would be living in Seireitei with his mother. So, that must mean that his mother was in Seireitei, right?

He let out a huge sigh. It was not as if he could confirm it though. Whenever he asked her about her relationship with his father, she would laugh, ruffle his hair and steer him off to another topic. And asking his father directly was out of question either.

Letting go of his usual control over his emotion completely, he sagged bonelessly into the arms supporting him.

"Taicho?"

Rangiku was startled when she felt her little captain became limp in her arms. For a second there she thought that he had fainted, but a glimpse at his face showed that he was still conscious. That did nothing to curb her worry though. The boy was acting very unlike himself today.

"Shiro-chan," Ukitake moved closer to the two, making sure he had the boy's attention before continuing. "Are you feeling alright? Maybe we should take you to the fourth division just in case?"

The younger captain scowled and pushed himself away, "I'm fine." He grabbed his tea and stomped away to the couch, plopping sideways onto it, his back leaning on the armrest.

The other two have their gazes followed him, before exchanging worried looks.

"Alright, what is going on with you, Shiro-chan?" Ukitake seated himself in front of the boy as the lieutenant sat behind her own desk. "Does this have to do with Aizen's murder? You've started acting strange ever since Hinamori-kun told you about it."

"About that," Rangiku started, making the two white haired captain looked at her inquiringly. "Who do you think murder Aizen-taicho? One of the ryoka, maybe?"

Ukitake shook his head, "For all I know, they want to rescue Rukia-chan and the ones they've fought so far were those who literally stood in their way and none of them were killed. Aizen-taicho was murdered in his office."

Rangiku perked up at that, "So you think that it's one of the shinigamis who murdered him?"

"It very well may be one of the captains," Ukitake grimaced at the prospect of one of them betraying the Seireitei and murdered one of their own. "Only a captain is strong enough to take down another captain."

"But if Aizen-taicho was caught off guard?" The lieutenant bit her lips in worry. "Maybe we should include the top five seats into consideration too?"

"Not if the culprit was hiding their true strength from the Gotei 13. Or if there were actually a group of them," Toshiro suddenly said, slumping more to his side. "To be truthful, it can be anyone, as the culprit was taking advantage of the chaos the ryokas' attack caused."

"There's that possibility too," Ukitake sighed tiredly, leaning back onto the couch.

Toshiro closed his eyes, cradling the half full mug in his hands.

The things just simply didn't add up. At least with what he knew, it didn't. And it frustrated him more than he'd like to admit. Everything should come into light if Aizen was dead, so why hasn't it? Unless…

His eyes were wide open in an instant as he considered the new possibility.

Could it really be…?

But it was the only explanation that he could think of. The only one that made any sense to him.

"Shiro-chan?"

His eyes flitted to the other captain, only to see yet another worried look directed to him. A glance to his side showed that his lieutenant had the same look on the face.

He gulped nervously and stood up, carefully placing his mug down onto the nearby table, "I need to check on something."

"Check on what? Taicho?"

He turned to look at his lieutenant, lips pressed into a stubborn line. "I'll be right back," was all that he said before he disappeared in a shunpo, leaving the two to stare at the spot where he last stood.

The sound of feet hurrying close could be heard and seconds later, Hinamori Momo burst into the office, looking frantic.

"Momo-chan?" Rangiku rose to her feet to greet the other lieutenant.

The younger woman looked around, looking crestfallen when she could not find the one she was looking for, "Where is Shiro-chan?"

"He was just going out. Said he needed to check on something," Ukitake stood up from the couch as well. "What's wrong, Hinamori-kun?"

Momo bit her lip and showed the two a rumpled letter that she had been clutching in her hand, "I think…" She caught the other two's gazes in a fiery glare as if daring them to go against what she was about to say.

"I think someone is trying to frame my little brother as Aizen-taicho's murderer."


	3. Chapter 2

k59: well, here's the next part of the story.. i'll try to write faster, but it seems that this is my limit.. i'm a better reader than i am a writer.. that, n i'm still not sure how to close this story.. oh well, enjoy the story^^~

* * *

A Lifeful of Lies - Chapter 2

xxx

xxx

Unohana Retsu had taken pride in her medical knowledge. It was a justified one, seeing that her knowledge really was second to no one in the whole Seireitei. But this… She didn't know what to make of this.

The fourth Division's captain sighed and pulled the white linen back to cover Captain Aizen's face.

"Unohana-taichou," a rather mature but still a hint of boyish voice called out.

Turning around, she found the tenth Division's small captain standing at the door, an uncertain expression on his young face. She smiled indulgently and gestured to him to come in. The boy walked into the room with light steps, his gaze did not leave the linen covered figure on the bed.

"Is there anything I could help you with, Hitsugaya-taicho?" She asked when he reached her.

The boy hesitated, casting a glance at the other captain, "I want to know the result of your examination on..." The boy gestured helplessly at the bed.

She had to chuckle on his rare show of how young he really was. Compared to her who had lived for over a millennia, the boy was truly just as young as his physical appearance suggested. If she was to take a guess, he was probably around a century old, at most.

So young but already a captain, she couldn't wait to see just how strong he would become.

"To tell you the truth," she began with a sigh. "I found some things that are a bit off."

"Off?"

Unohana nodded, "Can you sense it?"

Bright turquoise eyes looked up at her, confusion clearly shown, "Sense? You mean reiatsu? When someone died, they no longer have any reiatsu, do they?"

"They don't suppose to," she confirmed, still smiling all the while.

Letting out a frustrated breath, the boy decided to do as the older captain told and closed his eyes to concentrate and extended his sense. Seconds later, his eyes were wide open once again, surprise shown clearly in the turquoise orbs.

"You felt it?"

Confused turquoise met gentle brown and the boy nodded, "I did. It was very faint, if I wasn't focusing on finding it, I wouldn't sense it at all. It was like…"

The boy trailed off, seeming to just come into a conclusion, seeing the startled look on his face.

Unohana was about to call him when he closed his eyes once again. Watching quietly, she let him be, knowing that everything that he did was done for a reason. A frown marred the boy's face as he opened his eyes, a contemplative stance over his countenance. She could practically hear the gears inside his brain working furiously.

The boy's turquoise eyes rose up to meet hers, "Say, Unohana-taicho?"

She smiled and hummed in reply.

"How do you come to discover this?"

"Well," she contemplated. "It was a procedure I always did, to see if there are traces of the attacker's reiatsu left behind. As you can see, there is, but… It feels a little bit off. Don't you find it so?"

Toshiro nodded, "Yes, it's –"

And there was the hesitation again. Unohana had to frown at the boy's atypical behavior. The few decades she had come to know him, she had never seen him hesitating in anything that he did. Young might he be, but uncertain was he not. Everything that he did, he would do so with precision and certainty.

So what could have brought this sudden change?

"Toshiro-kun."

Startled turquoise orbs met worried brown, not expecting the use of his given name. She fought the urge to squat down to his height.

"I'm going to talk to you not as a fellow captain, but as someone who has lived for a very long time to her young," she started. "You're acting very unlike yourself right now, Toshiro-kun. You hesitated, for starters. Not just in voicing something, but in your action."

The younger captain only stared at her, clearly stunned, and she couldn't help but sigh.

"What happened? And don't be a smart mouth and say something that is very obvious. Actually, let me rephrase that. What is going on that you are aware and know of, that no one else does? What are you keeping from us?"

There was a beat of silence and she saw the white haired boy thought of what she had just said over.

"What I'm keeping…?" the mumbled to himself, before giving her a rueful smile. "That's a big secret you want me to reveal, Unohana-taicho."

The head healer frowned, "Toshiro-kun…"

"Ah! It was nothing bad, I promise," he hastily reassured her worry, clearly not wanting to be lectured. "In fact, it was something that's really good. It's something that keeps me going, even when the situation gets real bad. It…" The boy took a deep breath before continuing, "It has my life revolved around it."

Deciding to let the boy go on his own pace, she didn't interrupt him. This was the most he had ever said about his personal life anyway. She was taken aback when the topic of their conversation seemingly changed its course once again.

"Have you ever heard about eidetic memory, Unohana-taicho?"

It was only her centuries of experience of dealing with unexpected turn in events that prevented her from raising her eyebrow at the boy.

"I know about it, yes. It is an ability to recall a memory completely. Images, sounds, even smells. Is it not?"

"It is. Don't you think that it's a rather double edged sword? To be able to remember every second of your life, be it good or bad, comforting or horrifying. To always remember every mistake that you've made, and every single thing that you've lost."

A frown appeared on the woman's forehead, "You speak seemingly from personal experience."

The boy gave her a slight smile, "Do I now?"

Her frown deepened, "Yes, you do. Toshiro-kun, is there anything that you want to tell me?"

The boy shook his head, "I think I've said all that I need to. I'm sorry to bother you, Unohana-taicho."

It was only when the white haired captain was already well out of her sight that she remembered. He never told her what he had discovered about the strange reiatsu earlier.

xxx

A figure well hidden behind the trees watched silently as the child captain walked out of the fourth division.

The boy paused right in front of the door, a slight frown marred his young face and his lips pulled into a thin, frustrated line. The young captain stood there for minutes, seemingly deep in thought, before a determined glint appeared in the turquoise eyes and he disappeared in a shunpo.

The man kept standing where he stood, the sunlight catching the edge of the glasses that he wore. A smirk made its way onto his handsome face, one that was full of maliciousness instead of amusement, and he too was gone in a white blur.

xxx

Toshiro stood frozen with his hand poised to knock on the closed door. Letting out a frustrated breath, he let his hand fell down to his side, lips settled in a light pout. Trying to calm himself down, he regulated his breath and took a big gulp of air.

He could do it. He would go in there, make a small talk and…

And what? What, precisely, was he hoping to achieve by doing this anyway?

Unconsciously, a growl escaped his mouth while he balled his fist tight. This was all that idiot's fault! He just _had _to make things so complicated like this.

Huffing irritably, he turned around, giving this particular idea up for now. He had other things that he had to check too anyway. But before he could take a step, the sound of a door being pulled open reached his ears, taking the choice off his hands.


	4. Chapter 3

k59: i finally got the whole thing figured out! i think.. it was the general plot until the ending, so i need to think of the detail still, but i'm getting there.. i'm still thinking on how to close this story though.. so, hope you'll be patient with me.. for now, enjoy the chapter^^~

* * *

A Lifeful of Lies - Chapter 3

xxx

xxx

"Are you sure it's alright, Ichimaru-taicho?"

Gin exhaled rather irritably at the repeating question. His lieutenant was a good and responsible young man, but the kid seriously needed to do something with those insecurities of him. It drove him mad like no other. Coming from him, that's saying something.

"Yes, Kira," the smile did not slip for even a second from his face. "I am very sure. Just like I was the ten times you asked me the same question before."

The blond flinched and his smile widened. Oh boy, this has become way too natural for him.

"It's just... As the lieutenant of the thi –"

"Kira," he quickly interrupted, "It's fine. There's really nothing left to do for today anyway. Go help your friend. I'm sure she'll appreciate your presence more than I do at the moment."

The boy coloured at the indirect nudge, but nonetheless bowed before almost scurrying out of the office. The silence did not last long, and neither did his amusement.

"Is there any reason why you are exposing yourself out in the open, Aizen-sama?" He carefully made sure his signature smile on his face didn't falter even in the slightest.

The man standing on the side of the room, leaning casually on the wall, grinned rather malevolently, "It is not in the open when you're the only one able to see me, Gin-kun. My power is rather convenient for times like this, don't you agree?"

Gin forced his smile to widen, "And to what do I owe this honour?"

"I merely want to enjoy the show. And I believe that the stage will be your office." His smile was positively evil now. "After all, with that genius of a mind, that boy would have no trouble making his own theory and comes into a conclusion."

The words made his heart sank. He absolutely did not want to have his son – oh how he want to say that out loud – anywhere near this vile man. Had he been brave enough, confident enough, he would march out right now, grabbed his troublesome son and locked him somewhere he could not get into trouble. Instead he donned an amused expression.

"Oh? Chibi-taicho's coming for a visit? So soon?"

"I would have been disappointed and incredibly bored if not because of him," Aizen seated himself behind the unoccupied lieutenant desk, making himself comfortable, "Too bad that Isshin got to him before I could. Give him a few decades and he would have made a formidable ally."

It took all that he had not to growl at that, so it was somewhat a relief when there was a knocking sound.

"Come in," he called and immediately felt uneasy when the white head poked inside before the small captain walked in quietly, closing the door behind him.

"Ichi–," the boy stopped suddenly when he took note of the other person inside the office, blinking a few times as if making sure that his vision hasn't tricked him.

Gin had to frown, following the boy's line of sight. What was going on? He had automatically assumed that Aizen would use his zanpakuto's power and made others unable to see him. What was that evil man planning, allowing Toshiro to see him?

And just when did Aizen show his son the release of Kyouka Suigetsu anyway?

"Izuru."

Frowning slightly, Gin watched silently as the boy gave _Aizen_ an acknowledged nod. For a short second, his lips were pulled into a grimace. It looked like instead of being an audience, Aizen had chosen to be one of the actors.

"Hitsugaya-taicho," Aizen nodded back, a playful smile – which Gin was sure Toshiro wasn't seeing – on his face.

The child captain unconsciously tilted his head slightly to the side, one of the few habits Gin knew his son had picked up from his foster sister. One of the cute few.

"I thought that you'd be in the fifth division," the boy said slowly.

"Ah, yes, I am planning to. But I am obliged to finish my own duty beforehand. Do you need me to leave you and Ichimaru-taicho alone, Hitsugaya-taicho?"

Maybe it was just his imagination, but he thought he saw Toshiro narrowed his eyes for a moment, before his expression returned to normal.

"No, it's alright."

There was silence after that, which he spent watching the white haired boy staring at his 'lieutenant' impassively. Aizen was watching the whole thing with a sickeningly amused expression on his face. He finally had enough of it.

"I'm hurt, Chibi-taicho," he put a playful tone in his voice, feeling his amusement showed its face again when the boy jumped slightly. "You've been ignoring me ever since you came through the door. And here I was getting all pleased with your visit too."

The boy blinked rapidly for some time, but then his countenance changed to a detached calculating. A slight frown on the young face and the small hand came up to his chin told him that the child was thinking furiously.

"What?" Gin pursed his lip into a light pout, "Don't I get a hello at least?"

Toshiro seemed to have chosen ignore his antics, instead taking careful steps into the room, the contemplating look still etched on his face, "Are you busy, Ichimaru?"

"Eh? Not really, no," his signature smile was back again. "I was just telling Kira that it's okay if he wants to go help Momo-chan. But he's very adamant about finishing his work first."

"I'm still the third division lieutenant first and foremost," Aizen added, almost as dutifully as Kira would have been.

"I see. Then," the boy's stance suddenly shifted, his gaze becoming fiercer, "I apologize in advance for what I'm about to do."

Toshiro's form vanished and appeared not even a second later behind Aizen, with Hyorimaru drawn and held at the man's neck. To Gin's chargin, the amused look on the bastard's face did not falter even for a moment.

"Chibi-taicho," Gin had to reign in his surprise at his son's unexpected move, and instead forced a mildly interested expression on his face. "Just why are you holding my lieutenant hostage?"

The boy didn't budge, sparing a glance at him.

"He may or may not be Izuru."

xxx

"What are you talking about? Of course he's Kira. Maybe you should get your eyes checked Chibi-taicho."

Toshiro couldn't help the scowl that marred his face at the response. His father was being as unhelpful as always. He supposed it was only normal, seeing as the man had a cover to maintain and all that. It made it no less frustrating though.

He was so sure that this man was Aizen, but he knew enough to hold his tongue about it. After all, the only thing that clued him in about it was his memory of his father talking about it to him. And since he was a few months old at that time and was supposedly not remember it, that option was out. His father had planned this for decades, centuries even. He was not going to be reckless and unknowingly ruined it all.

That didn't mean he couldn't arrest Aizen though, even without revealing he knew of the man's plan. If he could finish this here and now – he bit his lip at the thought – he might just have his father back.

Fueled with that knowledge, he pressed the side of his Zanpakuto more firmly against his hostage's neck, determined not to mess this up.

"I met another Izuru at the gate," he forced his voice to remain calm. "He was on his way to help Hinamori."

"Hitsugaya-taicho?"

He looked back to the man he help at sword's end, feeling irritated with himself when he found himself without explanation as to how Aizen managed to take Izuru's form.

"Isn't it more likely for that me to be the impostor then? After all, I was with Ichimaru-taicho all this time."

"I can't take the risk," he fought the urge to just freeze him. "There's a chance that you are the impostor and good enough to fool a captain level shinigami. I won't notice a thing if I hadn't met another of you beforehand."

There was a sigh from the man, "How could I assure you that I am who I appeared to be?"

Toshiro frowned, sneaking another glance at his father, who was watching with an amused expression, and had to scowl, "When and where did we first meet?"

"At the academy," came the immediate response. "Momo was introducing you to me, Shuuhei and Renji."

He growled a "wrong," and swung his zanpakuto, lessening his speed to a level where the real Izuru would be able to dodge. There is a chance, though it was very very small, that this was the real one after all. His turquoise eyes followed as the man as the other stood with his zanpakuto drawn at the centre of the office.

"Only the real Izuru would know," he took a defensive stance. "That he was the one who found me when I got lost the first time I went back after visiting Granny."

'Izuru' looked contemplative, "Is that so? It is unfortunate that I took his form then," a positively evil grin spread across his face. "Otherwise, I would still be fooling you."

"Not quite," he forced himself not to sound too smug, but even he couldn't keep the grin off his face. "Your answer was correct. You blow your cover with that admittance though."

Instead of being annoyed as he thought Aizen – for Aizen he must be – would be, the man laughed instead.

"I must admit, you're better than I thought you'd be, Hitsugaya-kun," the man smirked finally. "Would you be interested if I offer you a place in my rank?"

Toshiro had to admit, it was tempting. Not because he wanted power or that he hated Seireitei – quite the contrary, in fact – but the chance to finally be with his father, to fight together. A glance at the silver haired man though, he knew that he could never accept the offer. Gin had fought tooth and nail to keep him as far away from Aizen's influence as possible. And that's what he was going to do.

"I have no intention in betraying Seireitei," he stated simply, his grip on Hyorinmaru tightening.

"Pity," Aizen sneered. "I would ha– "

A knock caused all three to turn to the closed door. Toshiro felt his blood ran cold when a familiar voice rang out the usual greeting from the outside of the room and saw a hand started to slide the door open.

"Don't come in, Oneesan! Get a –"

White hot pain blooming in his torso swallowed the rest of his warning, turquoise eyes widening in shock. As his fingers became numb and his vision tunneled, he felt someone leaned closer to him.

"A piece of advice, Hitsugaya-kun. Never take your eyes off your opponent. Especially one who is far superior."

The feeling was gone a moment later and his eyes found a pair of wide open sky blue eyes of his father. He tried to call out to him, but even his tongue was not cooperating with him. He couldn't even feel his legs anymore and his eyes were quickly losing their sight.

Someone screaming that blasted nickname of his was the last thing he heard before all went blank.


	5. Chapter 4

k59: Does anyone even read this? I'm thinking about a resounding 'no'.. Oh well, anyway, I'd take my chance, I guess.. I'd like to ask you about anything that I can improve about this fic.. The pace, the writing style, the choice of scene.. Anything really.. I'd really appreciate constructive feedbacks from you.. Well, here's the latest chapter of this story :) Enjoy~

* * *

A Lifeful of Lies - Chapter 4

xxx

xxx

Hinamori Momo couldn't help the scowl on her face. Really, if all the captains were going to do was arguing amongst themselves, they could at least dismissed her beforehand. She had better things to do than listening to their fight.

Like visiting someone in the fourth division. Or did they actually forget that it was her little brother who was brought in there unconscious because of a huge gash on his torso?

Resisting the ever-growing urge to just storm out of the room, she settled with a small scoff. Kira gave her a sympathetic glance and she smiled gratefully at him. Well, at least one person was showing a little understanding of her feeling. She crossed her arms in front of her chest and let out a huge sigh which went unnoticed by the still arguing captains.

She was really regretting her decision to obey Captain Ichimaru now. Even though she knew that his reason was valid – he _was_ faster than both her and Kira and thus able to get Toshiro to the fourth division quicker – not knowing how Toshiro was doing was really grating on her nerves.

It was still so very clear in her mind, how Toshiro's panic-filled warning had caused her to do the opposite and slammed the door open, only to see _Kira_, of all people, slashed her little brother open. Beside her, she could feel Kira, the one who had come with her, stiffened in shock.

Her hands were instantly on Tobiume, screaming for her brother and ready to strike down the one who had attacked him, whoever that monster was. All that she cared about was that he had hurt Toshiro and had dared to use one of her friends' form to do it.

That monster in Kira's form turned to her and she could feel a touch of fear. She had never imagined that such a cold and maniacal gleam could ever be on his eyes. He met her blade head on.

"I wonder which you'd choose," frostily whispered to her ear and she had to shudder. Kira's voice had never had that sneer and mocking tone in it. "Your duty or your heart."

The pressure on her blade was suddenly gone and she instantly turned around, just in time to see the smirk that monster was flashing her. She growled lightly, hastily sheathing her zanpakuto back and turned back.

What a stupid question.

She was beside Toshiro in no time, gently but urgently patting his rapidly paling cheek and calling his name rather frantically. The only response he gave her was a pained whimper in between ragged breaths. She felt like she could burst out crying any seconds.

"I'll take him to the fourth division."

Thin hands entered her vision and she looked up to see Captain Ichimaru undoing the dark green sash holding Hyorinmaru's sheath, securing it on his own waist and slid the long katana in. All executed with fast and precise movements. When the man moved to gather her brother up, she immediately grabbed his wrist.

"No, Ichimaru-taicho, no offense, but Toshiro is my brother," she tightened her grip. "I'll take him there."

Clear blue eyes met hers and she forgot to breathe for a moment there. For whatever reason, she felt like _he_ had more right to take care of Toshiro than _her_. Which made no sense at all! She was his sister! He was just his fellow captain.

"Your brother is dying here, Hinamori-fukutaicho," Captain Ichimaru's voice had had a slight edge to it that made her swallowed nervously. "It's not about who's the closest to him, but who can get him to Unohana-taicho the fastest. And out of the three of us here, I believe that's me."

She had no choice but to let him. After all, what he had said was true. But that didn't stop her from worrying her head out.

A nudge on her side caused her to turn at her friend, who was gesturing with his head at the captains. Her head jerked up, blushing slightly when she saw all ten captains were staring at him. Some with sympathetic smiles while the others with impatient scowls.

"I'm sorry, I didn't hear the question."

She tried not to color so much from the mumbled "obviously" coming from Captain Kurotsuchi.

"We're asking if you noticed anything from this potential shape-shifter that may clue us in as to who he or she really is," the kind captain of the thirteenth division informed her.

That caused her to pause for a bit. Shape-shifter? Where did that come from?

Apparently, her face was as open as book as Toshiro had once said it was, because Ukitake gave her that kind smile again. Suddenly she felt like a kid who was caught with her hand inside a cookie jar.

"The letter from Aizen-taicho mentioned Hitsugaya-taicho as the one he was going to meet before he died," the sickly captain explained. "Then you saw Izuru-fukutaicho attacking Hitsugaya-taicho. We think that it is entirely possible that this attacker's zanpakuto makes it possible to change one's appearance."

"In order to set us up against each other, no doubt," Captain Kyouraku frowned. "If that boy had not met the real Izuru-fukutaicho beforehand, we wouldn't have any idea of this person's ability at all."

"Perhaps then," all heads turned to the aged head captain, "by walking into that office, Hitsugaya-taicho had unknowingly saved Ichimaru-taicho's life."

The heavy silence that fell into the room was suffocating.

And it only became worse when a hell butterfly flew in, announcing that the Central 24 had decided to push Kuchiki Rukia's execution time _way_ forward.

xxx

There was just something that was really wrong with this week.

First they have Kuchiki Rukia brought into the Central 24 court and sentenced for death. Then came the Ryoka invasion – if she was informed correctly, they were friends that Kuchiki Rukia had made when she was in the living world. Not a day later, they found Aizen Sousuke murdered in his own office barrack, his body being displayed rather gruesomely too.

And now this.

When Captain Ichimaru ran into her division, looking uncharacteristically shaken, she had steeled herself to prepare for the worst. But it was proved to be not enough, as she could feel her throat clogged up when he saw the bloody figure in the man's arms.

There was no mistaking the white hair and small stature. And the sleeveless haori the boy was wearing was a dead giveaway too.

She never thought that Hitsugaya Toshiro's second visit that day would be as a patient.

Forcing her maternal side of her aside for a moment, she let the healer side of her to push forward. She started shouting orders, almost forcefully taking the boy off the third division's captain's hold and ran him into the emergency room.

It was over an hour later that she was able to take a relieved breath, watching as the white haired _child_ took steady and deep breaths. This was probably the first time he had been so gravely injured and she hoped that it would be last, no matter how impossible that was. He _was_ a captain, after all.

She let out a sigh before turning around to look at the man leaning beside the door.

Ichimaru Gin was unreadable as ever, but for once, his signature fox like smile was absent from his face. Instead, he looked solemn and contemplative. An exact opposite of what she had come to witness an hour ago.

"I see you've changed your uniform," she observed, noticing the lack of blood stain on the pristine white haori he worn.

She still remember the blood that had coloured the pure white material, dark red splotched across the cloth above the man's chest. It had come across as weird to her, for the boy had not bled that heavily to account for that large amount of blood there.

It was as if the man had been holding the boy to his chest.

No. not holding. Perhaps more towards hugging.

Shaking her head at the unlikely scenario, she casted the thought aside. Ichimaru Gin was not one for physical affection, with the lovely lieutenant of the tenth division as the sole exception.

The man pushing himself off the wall made her mind focus back to the present and she watched him quietly moved to stand beside her. His gaze locked onto the sleeping figure on the bed, before turning to look at her.

"How is he?" he inquired softly, as if afraid of disturbing the boy's sleep.

"He'll be fine after a few days of full bed rest," she smiled gently. "It was a clean cut and, though it bleeds heavily, nothing vital was damaged. It will leave a nasty scar though." She frowned as she said the last sentence.

Something at the corner of her sight caught her attention and her frown deepened when she saw that the man had clenched his fist tightly.

"Is there something bothering you, Ichimaru-taicho?"

He tensed at the question, but gave her his usual smile, "Aside from the obvious chain of events, no, I don't think there is. Why are you asking me that, Unohana-taicho?"

"You are acting differently," she tried to explain. "Usually you are more detached of a sort, but today… I was wondering what had caused it."

Giving a slight shrug, the silver haired man crossed his arms comfortably, "It just proved I'm not as emotionally unreachable as everybody seems to think."

"Perhaps."

She looked back down onto the slumbering boy, remembering that the captain of the third division had not been the only one to act so out of character today.

Toshiro had been acting weirdly as well. She still remembered the way he had been hesitating a lot earlier today, which suddenly led to him confessing of having a huge secret that he had kept from everyone, before the boy changed the subject abruptly.

"Ichimaru-taicho," she waited until he turned to look at her. "You are a genius too, aren't you? Do you have eidetic memory?"

He seemed to be taken aback by her question and she didn't blame him. She had been quite perplexed herself when Toshiro suddenly mentioned it to her.

"Well, it was the common misconception, I think," the silver haired man answered."Eidetic memory and being a genius do not come together. A person with eidetic memory is not always a genius and vice versa."

She hummed slightly, "So, how early could a person with an eidetic memory start to remember everything they experienced?"

"It's different for each person, I guess," he shrugged carelessly. "I don't have it, so I can't really help you with this. If I may ask, why the sudden interest?"

"Hitsugaya-taicho came here earlier," she ran a gentle hand through the boy's white hair. "From what he was saying, I believe that he was admitting that he has an eidetic memory, however vague he was being about the whole thing. I was just curious about what it entails."

When she hear no response, she turned to look at him.

She did not expect the look of absolute horror that was on his face as he looked at Toshiro's slumbering form. She would never think that this seemingly small information would get such a strong reaction from the normally playful and mysterious man.

"Ichimaru-taicho?"

He jerked at the sound of his name, eyes wide as his gaze fixated on her. The obvious terror and franticness swirled within the clear blue orbs shocked her into silence.

"I – I'm sorry, but –Excuse me, Unohana-taicho."

She could only watch with deep concern as the man quickly made his way out of the room.


End file.
